Estrella Resources remains on the money, with drilling at its T5 nickel discovery north of Kalgoorlie in WA continuing to deliver a wealth of sulphide mineralisation. The recently auspicious nickel explorer has furnished punters with yet another broad nickel sulphide intercept from its accelerated drilling campaign, with drill hole CBDD033 offering up close to 26m of sulphidic core.
The latest drill intersection follows hot on the heels of the recent outstanding results from the adjacent drill hole, CBDD030, which recorded 13.9m at 1.07 per cent nickel and 0.39 per cent copper and hosted two zones of high-grade massive sulphide mineralisation weighing in at 2.5m at 3.66 per cent nickel and 0.46 per cent copper, and 3.7m at 2.85 per cent nickel and 0.65 per cent copper.
The company has now deployed two diamond drill rigs to site as it begins defining the T5 discovery along more than 300m of strike. The current drill pattern is bracketing hole CBDD030 on approximately 40m centres with exploration working outwards from the known mineralisation.
Drill hole CBDD033 is located to the north of the discovery hole and intersected 25.7m of disseminated to massive sulphide mineralisation. The results again returned an assemblage typical of nickel-bearing ore systems including pentlandite, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite.
Geological logging has revealed that the new intercept contains a higher-grade nucleus of matrix to massive mineralisation, estimated to be composed of 50 to 90 per cent sulphide. The sandwich of potentially rich nickel and copper ore extends from 371.1m down-hole and is around 16.7m wide in its own right.
Estrella Resources Managing Director, Chris Daws said:
“Our team has again delivered another significant drill hole confirming the extensive DHTEM plate surrounding our initial discovery hole hosts substantial nickel sulphide mineralisation. We are moving fast to see what further mineralisation exists at T5 with two diamond rigs drilling 24/7 into the defined DHTEM plate, I expect from here we will continue to see more significant results. I am extremely pleased with what has thus far been achieved and I look forward in the days, weeks ahead as the drill bits keep turning on what has been a remarkable program to date.”
To date, the ongoing drilling program seems to have validated Estrella’s innovative drill targeting technique, utilising a blend of geological modelling and downhole geophysics to hit the sweet spots across the emerging sulphide discovery. The mineralisation at T5 appears to be associated with a coarse grained, intrusive gabbro that has been squeezed along the contact between a basaltic unit and ultramafic stratigraphy within the Carr Boyd Layered Complex, or “CBLC”.
It is interesting to note that the T5 prospect shows geological similarities to a number of other recent high-profile discoveries in WA, including the Nova-Bollinger nickel-copper mine in the Fraser Range and the more recent Julimar discovery, east of Perth.
Estrella’s Carr Boyd nickel sulphide project is located 80km north-northeast of Kalgoorlie in WA’s mineral-rich Eastern Goldfields. The company uncovered a new T5 sulphide discovery following the diamond drilling of deep electromagnetic targets along the margin of the CBLC.
The T5 discovery sits around 1km north of the historic Carr Boyd nickel mine, which was operated by Western Mining between 1973 and 1977, producing around 200,000 tonnes of ore grading at 1.43 per cent nickel and 0.46 per cent copper.
Whilst Estrella is now focused on the delineation of the T5 discovery, the company’s wider work program is continuing at a rapid clip and includes regional sampling and geophysical surveying as it works to uncover a myriad of targets in the terrane surrounding the historical nickel mine.
In order to support the accelerated and expanded exploration effort at Carr Boyd the company is now also upgrading the infrastructure across the project area. It has been working on the access roads, installing accommodation and office facilities and setting up bulk fuel and water storage for the growing diamond drilling campaign.
Estrella has also bolstered its board and management team, adding the role of Managing Director to that of Chief Executive Officer for Chris Daws and appointing eminent nickel geologist, Neil Hutchison to the board of directors as the company’s Technical Director.
In something of a coup, Estrella has rounded out the technical team by securing the services of Steve Warriner as Exploration Manager. Warriner was previously the Chief Geologist at Poseidon Nickel and will have his feet on the ground at Carr Boyd in January next year.
Estrella continues to expand the T5 discovery at Carr Boyd with two diamond rigs drilling 24/7 and a stream of samples heading to the laboratory. The company shouldn’t have to hold its breath for too long before presenting its next round of results and a multitude of new sulphide intercepts in the coming weeks.
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By Matt Birney
